Can big temperature swings make you sick?
While an extreme weather change won't make you sick, it can make you feel the symptoms of being sick and take a toll on your immune system.
Up and down temperatures could make you sick
Dr. John Whyte, Chief Medical Officer at WebMD, explains how rollercoaster temperatures could make you sick.
Every year, parts of the nation experience drastic temperature changes – suddenly going from extreme hot to extreme cold or vice versa. Dramatic weather changes like this don't make us sick, but they can impact our health.
"I call this 'yo-yo weather,' this up and down," said Dr. John Whyte, chief medical officer for WebMD. "It's kind of like yo-yo dieting, and both are bad for your health."
Whyte said drastic temperature changes can make a person feel sick with things such as headache, fever, feeling more tired than usual, runny nose and watery eyes.
Woman blowing her nose.
(Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
Whyte said the reason we might feel sick is that the body perceives the back-and-forth in temperatures as stress, and that can affect the way you fight off illness.
"Cold can make you uncomfortable, but it can't directly make you sick," said Dr. Jeanette Nesheiwat, FOX News medical contributor. "You actually have to come into contact with bacteria or a virus."
Who is most at risk?
Whyte said that older people or people with underlying health conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure are at higher risk of getting sick during yo-yo weather.
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"Temperature stress on the body can also further stress the heart of some," Whyte said. "Anyone who has underlying respiratory issues like asthma or COPD, that extra work you have to do to breathe better is also going to impact your heart."
How to prevent becoming sick
Staying healthy in winter cold.
Dr. Jeannette Nesheiwat talks about staying healthy in rapidly changing temperatures.
Nesheiwat said avoiding illness during temperature swings requires a person to stay hydrated and warm.
"If you are going outside in cold weather, you definitely want to dress in layers," she said. "Wear your gloves. Wear a hat. Wear your mittens. Wearing proper shoes, as well, is very important, especially when it's snowing."
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She said common sense things such as washing hands, getting vaccines and getting plenty of rest can help keep us healthy in rollercoaster weather.
Whyte said avoiding the extremes is a good idea, even if that means putting off your daily outdoor walk.
"The key is that you don't want these big temperature extremes like when you are in a super-hot apartment or office, and then you go outside, and it's 20 or 30 degrees," Whyte said.
Setting a thermostat to 69 degrees.
(George Frey / Getty Images)
"We probably all keep our thermostats in our homes and apartments too high," Whyte added. "They really should probably be around 68-69 degrees and not the 72 that I have to admit I usually like."
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Nesheiwat suggested asking your doctor to test your vitamin D levels and increase your in take of vitamins C and B-12 and Zinc.
"Those are the sort of things we always take a look at whenever we are feeling under the weather to try to perk us up and boost, build and strengthen our immune system," Nesheiwat said.